WulfCry Weblog

I know it’s been a long time. Sorry about that. Part of it’s laziness and lack of time. Part of it is because I have been tagged by my brother to write my “last post ever” if I were to have to leave the blogosphere forever. I’ve been struggling with the concept and would have felt to guilty writing something while ignoring this directive. Now I could easily cop out as he did and say it depends on why I was leaving, but I suppose I can safely say that if I were to write my last post ever, it would come down to priorities. Other things in my life would take priority over the time it takes me to post on my blog. So here’s a little bit on priorities.

Family
Family is always number one to me. If I were to stop writing, it would probably be because it was having some kind of detrimental effect on my family. Nothing I do in this life is going to have more lasting impact on the world than my children–it’s cliche, but a truism. Thus I owe it to them, myself, and the world to make sure my family is as healthy and functional as possible. I want my children to be strong, responsible, and to have a strong moral compass. There’s much I don’t like about the world we live in, but the best way I can change it is to send my kids out into the world with the principles and strength to make a difference for the better. Which brings me to the next point.

Spheres of Influence
I don’t remember if it was Steven Covey who said this, or if I got it from somewhere else. Each of us only has a small area of the world we can influence. It’s a waste of effort to try to make changes beyond this sphere–any changes we can effect must start in our sphere and radiate outwards like pond ripples. THis sphere always starts with ourselves. If we can’t control ourselves–our emotions or reactions–we can’t control anything. It’s why personal responsibility is so important. If the circumstances in our lives are not as we’d like them, we have to realize that it is choices that we make that put us there, and we can only change our circumstances by making changes in ourselves and the choices we make within our spheres of influence.

I struggle with this, I really do. It’s why becoming fit and quitting smoking is so important to me, and why I feel so impotent when I can’t manage it. When we get lost in these destructive habits, we might as well be in quicksand–our situation won’t improve unless we an control our choices enough to escape. It’s also the concept in my favorite quote by Garath McCathron that’s attached to all my emails–”Stregth of Will is the only Freedom.” If we don’t have the will to control ourselves, we are not free to to make lif what we want it to be. That’s why our spheres of influence in general–and will power in particular–should be a priority.

Common Courtesy
I don’ know why I throw this in here, except that it’s been on my mind a lot lately. As technology brings us closer in a lot of ways, it isolates us in many others, and many interpersonal skills are falling by the wayside. I like to smile and exchange friendly words with people I come across, even strangers in the elevator. When they smile back it brightens my day–and I hope it brightens theirs–and puts me in a better mood. I like to hold the door for whoever is walking up behind me–man woman or child. I also find that being friendly gets me further with people I have to work with than being surly or detached.

It distresses me how often a smile and a greeting goes ignored. How often a “thank you” goes unsaid. I think if more people practiced “common” courtesy, the world would be a nicer place in which to live.

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That’s all. Not much, I know. I hope it didn’t come off as too pompous or didactic. But after all, why do we all post if not to share our thoughts with other people. I wish I had more of value to share, but there you have it. gods bless.

Now I get to tag. I tag Jamie, Erin, Ash, Syrmopoulos, and McLucky Monkey–have fun

Spence